


Got Your Back

by Resilur



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Gen, Protection - Larger/Stronger Character Physically Protects Smaller/Weaker Character, Protection - Mutual, Self-Sacrifice - Against Orders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-23
Updated: 2018-11-23
Packaged: 2019-08-21 07:34:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16572356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Resilur/pseuds/Resilur
Summary: It really is impossible to ever just have a nice, quiet day anymore, isn't it?





	Got Your Back

**Author's Note:**

  * For [izayoi_no_mikoto](https://archiveofourown.org/users/izayoi_no_mikoto/gifts).



Tsuna and Gokudera were on their way to pick up some last-minute food shopping, as Tsuna tried in vain to keep his friend from going completely overboard.

Bianchi had actually been the first to offer when his mom said she needed a couple of things, but Tsuna had quickly insisted that he could take care of it, dragging a near-catatonic Gokudera out the door with him before she could argue. Gokudera had recovered almost as soon as they left his sister’s presence (and the threat of her cooking), and had taken to the errand as if it were a mission of monumental importance.

“Gokudera-kun, please! All we need are eggs and rice, there’s no need for anything fancy…”

“Of course we’ll get those, but we can’t just stop there! Your mother’s entrusted this to us. What we get can’t be anything less than perfect!” His eyes were shining as he continued to enthusiastically list everything he was utterly convinced they needed to buy.

Tsuna didn’t even recognize half of it. _Can you even find this stuff in Japan?_

“Excuse me, young man, may I have a word?”

Both boys stopped walking, turning to look behind them. The man who had spoken was dressed in what Tsuna was pretty sure were old-fashioned western clothes, and holding a closed umbrella as if it were a cane. While certainly far from the oddest thing he’d ever seen, the man still looked jarringly out of place in the streets of Namimori.

That was never a good sign. _Please don’t be looking for me, please don’t be looking for me…_

“You wouldn’t happen to be Sawada Tsunayoshi, would you?” the man asked, smiling pleasantly. He tapped the tip of the umbrella on the ground a couple of times before gesturing towards them with it.

Tsuna squeaked. He was seriously considering whether he should just turn tail and run – because _of course_ the strange man was from the mafia, it was _always_ the mafia, and _how_ had this become his life – before Gokudera moved forward threateningly, glowering at the man. “And how’s that any of your business, bastard?”

All other thoughts fled, and Tsuna tried to defuse the situation before his ridiculously loyal friend started a fight. “Gokudera-kun, it’s fine!” Flustered, Tsuna turned an awkward smile on the man, who was still swinging his umbrella almost lazily. He noticed a strange, quiet hissing sound, but was too distracted to pay it any attention.

Gokudera just turned to him with an eager smile. “Don’t worry, Tenth, I can handle this punk!”

“That’s really not necessary–!” 

The man gestured expansively with his umbrella once more. “Ah, you must be the Storm Guardian? Well, that’s fine.”

Tsuna felt as though his thoughts were turning sluggish. Maybe he just hadn’t gotten enough sleep last night? Something seemed off, though…

Gokudera was frowning again, except now he looked more confused than angry. His aggressive posture had loosened, but instead of finding it reassuring, Tsuna’s intuition was starting to practically scream that something wasn’t right. But it was just so hard to think properly.

There was something about how the man was moving that umbrella, and his expression seemed wrong, somehow…

Tsuna stumbled back, yanking Gokudera with him, just as the man suddenly swiped the umbrella right through where their heads had been.

It took almost a full second for Gokudera to actually react before he reached for a bomb, scowling as the pieces fell into place.

_Gas._

The hitman pressed forward, apparently unaffected. Gokudera tried to block the blow with his arm, but was still pushed back by the sheer force of it.

Tsuna managed to catch him before he slammed into the wall, cushioning him. It was still hard to think straight, though, and their reflexes were obviously dulled.

“We’ve got to get to clear air,” he said, while fumbling for his gloves and pill case.

“Right!” Gokudera threw the lit bomb at the hitman, who simply opened his umbrella to deflect the blast. He swung it aside to lunge at them again, only for a second bomb to go off right in his face.

Tsuna and Gokudera were already moving. “I knew he was a bad guy!” Gokudera sounded immensely satisfied and way too cheerful. Tsuna just gave an inward groan of despair. How was this his life, again?

They summoned Uri and Natsu from their rings. Natsu crouched, ready, on Tsuna’s shoulder, but Gokudera yelped as Uri clawed his face before leaping over to run along the wall next to them, contrary as ever.

They skidded to a halt as soon as they reached an intersection, twisting to face the enemy – and immediately had to duck as the umbrella spun over their heads, enveloped in the distinct green crackle of lightning flames and slicing deep gouges into the walls as it circled back to its owner’s hand.

Tsuna finally managed to get a pill down, instantly calming as his thoughts cleared and sharpened. Next to him, Gokudera already had several sticks of dynamite back in his hands, complete with a reckless smirk.

Tsuna spun, calling Natsu to form into his cloak and using it to shield Gokudera as a blow suddenly came from the side.

“Tch. Good reflexes, huh?” The figure of a woman swam hazily into view as her control of the illusion was disrupted. She smirked. “At least you won’t be boring.”

The first hitman sprayed another cloud of gas from the tip of his umbrella, this one dense enough to be visible; he wasn’t bothering with trying to be subtle anymore. Both boys were forced to back away again, Gokudera throwing bomb after bomb to get around his shield.

They had to take this fight away from the streets, before it got worse. Running likely wouldn’t help; they would have to try to stay close, and lure the hitman away gradually. Taking a deep breath, Tsuna prepared for a long fight.

\---

Gokudera snarled as the umbrella cut straight through the tree behind him as he ducked. They had managed to lead the hitmen out to the woods, but this was dragging on far too long.

The mist-user had been a problem throughout the fight. She didn’t seem to be able to do much besides cloak herself, but the inability to ever be quite sure where she was was enough. Tsuna had mostly been the one trying to keep her off their backs, being far better equipped to deal with her tricks.

The hitman was blown off of Gokudera by an X-burner, Tsuna flying after him. Gokudera moved to follow, only to be stopped by an invisible blow to his chest. He backed off with a curse, getting into a guard position.

While he was searching frantically for any sign of disturbed air, he heard a cry of surprise from Tsuna, and one of satisfaction from the hitman.

While at close range, the man had shot another cloud of gas at Tsuna, far denser than any previous one.

Tsuna began stumbling almost as soon as the cloud of gas hit him. He moved to fly up into the air to escape– 

Only for his flames to suddenly go out.

His eyes went wide and terrified as he lost the calm confidence of his hyper dying will. Unable to help gasping for breath, he tried to cover his mouth and nose with his mittens. But it wasn’t nearly enough.

“Tenth!” Gokudera cried out, distracted from his own fight. The hitwoman was quick to make use of the opportunity, swiping his feet out from under him and pressing him facedown into the ground. Gokudera cursed, trying unsuccessfully to throw her off. Uri leapt at her with a hiss, scratching wildly.

Ignoring them, the hitman sauntered over as Tsuna collapsed to his hands and knees, hanging his now-closed umbrella casually over an elbow. “Why, you look almost harmless now. Nothing but a cute little fledgling with your wings clipped.”

He swung the umbrella back to his right hand with a flourish. “A pity. It _nearly_ makes me feel bad about this.” He raised it high, preparing to stab Tsuna, who seem to muster the strength to even lift his head.

Gokudera saw red. Retaining just enough presence of mind to realize that throwing dynamite right next to his boss was a _bad idea_ , he struggled to his feet with a renewed burst of strength, barely even aware of knocking the hitwoman away and charging across the clearing. The hitman didn’t even have get the chance to look surprised before Gokudera tackled him to the ground.

The next few minutes were a blur. The two of them rolled across the ground in a flurry of wild punches. At one point, the hitman tried to use his umbrella to knock the enraged boy off of him, but the angle was too awkward; Gokudera was able to knock it from his hand, sending it flying several feet away.

Eventually, though, the man managed to kick him off. There was a pause where both of them simply glared at each other, panting heavily and half-sprawled on the ground, before the hitman turned and lunged for his umbrella.

“No, you don’t!” Gokudera scrambled up and rushed after him, lighting and tossing a stick of dynamite at the same time.

The other man was faster, though, grabbing his weapon and rolling out of the way of the blast. He continued through the roll to spin smoothly into a crouch, using the momentum to swing the umbrella into Gokudera’s midsection at full force.

Thrown through the air, Gokudera slammed into the ground and skidded to a halt near Tsuna. Completely winded, it took a few seconds before he could make out Tsuna’s frantic voice.

“G – Gokudera-kun, you need to get out of here!” Tsuna crawled over, barely clinging to consciousness. He gave Gokudera a shaky smile. “I… I’ll be fine, really!”

“ _No!_ ” Gokudera scrambled up to hover over him, flustered. “There’s no way I’m leaving you! I’ve got this, don’t worry.”

“You’re really kind of stupid, aren’t you?” the hitman interrupted, having climbed to his feet while they were distracted. Uri ran between them, hissing at the man.

Ignoring the cat, he continued in an aggrieved tone, “It’s not as if we’re going to _kill_ the Vongola Decimo – he’s far more valuable alive. You can’t possibly win. Seriously, just run along and save yourself some pain, kid.”

Gokudera snarled not even deeming that worthy of an actual response.

Tsuna fumbled weakly for his hand, unable to even open his eyes anymore, but still desperately trying to get his friend to run to safety.

“See? I… It’ll be… fine. Just… just run!” A new thought seemed to occur to him, and he clung to it like a lifeline. “You could… go for help! Yeah, just run… and get the others… and…” he wasn’t even able to finish the sentence before he finally succumbed completely to the sleeping gas.

“Tenth!” Gokudera had a moment of intense panic before the fact that he was simply unconscious sank in.

Uri yowled, and Gokudera spun just in time to partially block the umbrella stabbed towards his face, gritting his teeth as it scraped a gash across his right arm. He couldn’t dodge the kick to ribs that followed, though, not with Tsuna laying right in the path if he moved.

But then the hitman was stumbling back, cursing loudly as Uri jumped on his head, clawing furiously at him.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Gokudera threw another bomb, knowing that Uri wouldn’t be harmed. He got to his feet as quickly as he could, and planted himself firmly in front of his boss.

The hitman finally managed to grab Uri and toss to the side, just as Gokudera threw several more explosives at him. Unfortunately, the man was able to react in time, jumping back and opening his umbrella to shield himself from the majority of the blast.

It was only then that Gokudera realized he had lost track of where the mist-user was.

He quickly scanned the trees, but of course wasn’t able to find her. He would just have to stay on guard, and remember that attacks could come from out of nowhere. _At least she can’t pull the sort of freaky shit that Mukuro uses._

It didn’t take long before the area around them was littered with craters and torn-up earth. More than a few of the nearby trees had been taken out, as well. Gokudera was slightly better equipped for range than they were, but with two against one, that barely mattered.

Striking back against a side attack from the woman, he almost failed to avoid the umbrella as it came spinning from behind. He cried out as it tore a gash through his shoulder, barely staying on his feet.

The hitwoman tried to take advantage, but would up with a facefull of angry cat, instead. Her fist missed, only managing to clip the top of his head.

It was still enough to send him reeling, and he backed up a step to try to keep both enemies in sight, clutching his injured shoulder. He could still move his arm, at least. Ignoring the pain, he pulled out more dynamite.

Tsuna was completely helpless right now. He couldn’t lose here.

He soon realized that he couldn’t leave the spot where Tsuna lay; any time he attempted to pursue the hitman – or his partner, the rare times she showed herself – it left him vulnerable. It was especially risky when the mist-user wasn’t in sight – as one terrifying near-mistake showed, she could grab Tsuna and make off with him all too easily without Gokudera ever being the wiser. He’d noticed in just enough time to make a desperate lunge back to stop her, but it had been far, far too close.

Uri mostly prowled the outer edges, harassing the hitmen whenever possible and giving Gokudera at least a little bit of a reprieve. It helped, but not nearly enough. The hitmen could maneuver far more than he could, avoiding many of his attacks, while he couldn’t afford to dodge theirs.

Battered and bloody, it was getting harder and harder to stay upright. They were slowly but surely wearing him down, but still he refused to move.

What he really needed was a plan.

“Ugh, this crap is taking way too long.” The hitwoman was suddenly back in view, leaning heavily against a tree while cradling her injured arm. She also seemed to be trying to avoid putting weight on one of her legs, though Gokudera wasn’t sure what had caused that. He’d probably just gotten a lucky hit while she’d been invisible. “Can’t you just put the damn brat to sleep, already?” she snapped at her partner.

Panting, the man glared back. “Either shut up or deal with it yourself.”

Gokudera heard a quiet groan from Tsuna, the sleeping gas apparently starting to wear off. It was clear neither hitman had noticed yet, though. He just had to keep them suitably distracted.

He forced out a mocking laugh, though he coughed and choked on it due to the pain in his ribs. “You can’t, can you? That’s why you aren’t using the gas anymore – you’re all out!”

The man’s eye twitched in blatant irritation, and Gokudera smirked in grim satisfaction. _Gotcha._

“Don’t be so quick to make stupid assumptions,” he growled. “It’s simply too expensive to waste on beating sense into a worthless stray dog like you.”

Gokudera just snorted derisively, not buying that at all. Successfully goaded into a rage, the hitman charged at him blindly, practically running straight into the next blast.

He retaliated hard, though. Exhausted, and unable to dodge, Gokudera tried to brace himself as best he could for the blow – 

Only to have a massive cascade of ice blossom from alongside him, freezing both the umbrella and its wielder in place. The hitwoman stood up straight with a curse as her partner cried out in surprise.

Gokudera spun to Tsuna crouching beside him, breathing heavily but awake, and he felt something loosen in his chest. “Tenth,” he shouted with a look of absolute joy.

“I told you to run.” Even back in hyper dying will mode, Tsuna’s eyes weren’t quite as focused as they should be.

For a moment Gokudera was torn – a part of him wanted desperately to apologize for disobeying his boss, but at the same time, he knew didn’t actually regret it in the slightest.

He knew that Tsuna would never want him to sacrifice himself, but he couldn’t just abandon him – not ever, no matter what the cost. 

Before his stalled brain could properly come up with a reaction, Tsuna was already continuing, eyes softer and with his worry now plain to see, “Are you okay?”

Gokudera unfroze, practically tripping over his words in his haste to reassure him. It was obvious that Tsuna didn’t fully believe him – he was far too good at seeing through people, especially in this state.

He didn’t argue, though, and that acceptance and willingness to trust Gokudera to know his own limits spoke volumes, considering Gokudera’s history. Just like he couldn’t abandon him, he _wouldn’t_ betray that faith. Not anymore.

The ice shattered as the hitwoman finally managed to free her partner. Tsuna faced them with a firm nod, smiling slightly. “Together, then?”

Gokudera’s response was a wild grin and a lit fuse.


End file.
